[HEADLINES]

[TALENT=Melanie]

(/////SOT//////)
[IN=]

[4:28:12] (("THEY USUALLY DON'T BOTHER ME BUT THIS ONE DEFINITELY HAS MY ATTENTION."))
[RUNS=:05]
[OUT=has my attention]
(----------------)
[VO-NAT]


Evacuations are underway from Florida to South Carolina in preparation for a possible strike by hurricane Floyd.
(----------------)
[ANCHOR=Melanie]


Meantime the death toll from yesterday's apartment explosion in Moscow tops 100.
(/////////////)
[TALENT=Patrick]
[SS=None]



[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[SS=None]


News 7 at noon is next.



[Floyd]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#None]
[GRAPHIC=Hurricane Floyd]


Good afternoon, I'm Melanie Moon.
Hurricane Floyd is churning furiously off the coast of Florida, forcing thousands of evacuations.
Even without a direct hit on Florida, the coast is expected to get nailed by hurricane force winds because of the size of the storm.
In Georgia, the entire city of Savannah is being evacuated, and the mayor of Charleston, South Carolina, also expects to evacuate his city.
Jennifer Jones reports from Titusville, near Orlando.
[Live=Jones Full/Newspath]
[SUPER=01-Jennifer Jones/Reporting;]
[SUPER=05-Titusville, FL;]
( ad lib)

[***ROLLED FROM NEWSPATH****]
(/////SOT/////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Titusville, FL;]
[SUPER=01-Andy Devanes/Meteorologist;]
[RUNS=:00]
[OUT Q=]

(((LOCATOR: COCOA BEACH, FL) AS HURRICANE FLOYD BEARS DOWN ON FLORIDA ... MANY RESIDENTS THERE ARE MAKING FINAL PREPARATIONS, BUT NOT PLANNING TO WAIT FOR HIS ARRIVAL.
(SOT, RESIDENT)

"ARE YOU STICKING AROUND? NEVER, LEAVING AS SOON AS I FINISH THIS JOB HERE. WHERE YOU HEADED? AS FAR WEST AS I CAN GO....(LAUGHS)..." AND THERE'S GOOD REASON TO DO THAT. WITH HURRICANE FORCE EXTENDING 125 MILES FROM THE CENTER, FLOYD IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST AND MOST POWERFUL STORMS TO EVER THREATEN THE U-S. IT'S THREE TIMES THE SIZE OF HURRICANE ANDREW, A STORM THAT DEVASTATED SOUTH FLORIDA IN 19-92, KILLING 26 PEOPLE.
(SOT, RESIDENT)
(NATZ OF SOME SORT)

HURRICANE WARNINGS ARE POSTED FOR THE ENTIRE EAST COAST OF FLORIDA AND A HURRICANE WATCH STRETCHES UP TO THE CAROLINAS. FORECASTERS ARE HOPING FLOYD WILL NOT MAKE A DIRECT HIT ON THE COAST, BUT THEY ARE NOT READY TO MAKE THAT PREDICTION.
SOT: ANDY DEVANES/FL. CHIEF METEOROLOGIST

HURRICANE FLOYD IS CHURNING FURIOUSLY OFF THE COAST OF FLORIDA, FORCING THOUSANDS OF EVACUATIONS ALONG THE COAST. EVEN WITHOUT A DIRECT HIT ON FLORIDA, THE COAST IS EXPECTED TO GET NAILED BY HURRICANE FORCE WINDS BECAUSE THE STORM IS SO HUGE. JENNIFER JONES REPORTS FROM TITUSVILLE, NEAR ORLANDO. -"THERE'S STILL A STRONG LIKELIHOOD THIS THING COULD STILL CROSS THE STATE OF FLORIDA, BUT THERE'S AN EQUAL LIKELIHOOD IT COULD STAY OUT TO SEA.))

[Live=Jones Full/Newspath]
[SUPER=05-Titusville, FL;]
( ad lib)


[WX-One]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=None]
[GRAPHIC=HOLD]


For the latest stats on Floyd and how it might affect our weather, let's talk to Patrick Evans.
[Patrick in Chroma Key]
[CK=WxPro]



(toss back to Melanie)



[81-Sinkhole]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=81 Sinkhole]


If you're heading north on Interstate 81 this afternoon, you may want to allow some extra time.
A sinkhole has closed the northbound lanes of the interstate in Shenandoah County just north of Mount Jackson.
V-Dot crews worked through the night trying to fill the hole, and hope to reopen the road by late this afternoon.

The sinkhole is about ten feet long and ten feet wide.
The lane is closed near mile-marker 275.

[Moscow]


[ANCHOR=mel]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Explosion]


At least 121 bodies have now been pulled from the wreckage of yesterday's apartment building explosion.
And today police found 4 tons of explosives that they believe are linked to the blast and three other major explosions in the city in the last two weeks.
David Hawkins reports.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]

[10:17:33]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=03-Moscow, Russia;]
[SUPER=01-David Hawkins/Reporting;]
[RUNS=1:19]
[OUT =CBS NEWS, MOSCOW.]

((Rescue officials are still combing through the rubble of what was once an eight-story apartment building. They're looking for survivors of the bomb blast that killed at least 100 people. It was the fourth bomb to rock Russia in less than two weeks. Last Thursday, a similar blast in another Moscow apartment building claimed 94 lives. Russian law enforcement officials say they've arrested two suspects... and released the photographs of two others. No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks... but many in the Russian government are blaming Islamic rebels... who have been waging a war of independence in the southern Russian region of Dagestan for the last two months. But the leaders of the rebels says they don't have anything to do with the apartment bombings. Russian President Boris Yeltsin went on TV yesterday and said the government would take swift and severe measures to combat terrorism. He called for Russians to remain vigilant... and calm. Across the country, officials are tightening security... and the Russian parliament has called an emergency session to discuss the situation. DH, CBS News, Moscow))

[East-timor]


[ANCHOR=mel]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=none]


If the United Nations approves an international force of peacekeepers, Australia could lead troops into East Timor by the weekend.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Dili, East Timor;]

[8:07:51]
But, that might be too late, according to a spokesman for the East Timor independence movement, who says killings and chaos in the capital of East Timor continue.
Almost a thousand refugees and most of the United Nations staff have been evacuated from the U-N compound in Dili
(DIH'-lee).


The remaining U-N staff will prepare for the arrival of a United Nations peacekeeping force.
(------------)


[WIPE/WIPE/WIPE]

[S-Warner-Newman]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Morn]
[WRITER=ssm]
[TAPE#=99-25 TC1:48:33]
[GRAPHIC=wipe]


[WIPE WIPE WIPE WIPE WIPE]

(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Lynchburg]


John Warner, who heads up the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the world cannot turn its back on East Timor.


Warner supports the decision to lend air and intelligence support to a U-N peacekeeping force.
He predicts any military involvement in East Timor won't last long.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 21:47:06]
[IN Q=And how long]

((SEN. JOHN WARNER/R- VIRGINIA: AND HOW LONG WE'LL BE THERE DEPENDS ON HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE TO RESTORE THAT MEASURE OF SECURITY, TO ALLOW THOSE PEOPLE TO GO THROUGH WITH THE ELECTIVE GOVERNMENT THAT THEY DESIRE.))
[SUPER=01-Sen. John Warner/(R) Virginia; :00]
[RUNS=:13]
[OUT Q=that they desire.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


Warner was on the campaign trail in Lynchburg yesterday, stumping for incumbent state senator Steve Newman.
(------------)


[tease1] [HARD MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]


The Standards of Learning are changing how Roanoke schools promote students.
Find out how when we return.
(--------------)
[VO-NAT ]


And while New York health officials fight a deadly encephalitis outbreak, more cases are popping up.
That's next on News-7 at noon.
(---------------)

[music up full] [comm1]


[Encephalitis]


[ANCHOR=mel]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mel]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=Encephalitis]


New York City is reporting two more cases of St. Louis encephalitis.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-New York, NY;]

[4:25:54]
The city just completed its first wave of spraying to prevent the mosquito-borne disease from spreading.
The most recent cases are in the Bronx, and bring the total so far to eleven.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]

[4:26:01-14]
[IN Q=ONE IS A ]

((GUILIANI: ONE IS A 15 YEAR OLD WHO IS IN STABLE CONDITION...AND A 38 YEAR OLD WHO APPEARS TO HAVE RECOVERED.))
[SUPER=01-Rudolph Giuliani/New York City Mayor;]
[RUNS=:11]
[OUT Q=to have recovered.]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


Three people have died from the disease.
(------------)
[anchor=melanie]
[SS=HOLD]


The city is awaiting lab results of 65 other people who also may have been infected -- including a 79-year-old woman who died Saturday.

[Carroll-Fatal]


[ANCHOR=melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=tar]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Carroll Co. Fatal Accident]


What started as a routine police stop ended in a deadly car crash.
State police say a trooper attempted to pull over a vehicle in Hillsville yesterday.
But they say after stopping 50-year old Ernest Quesinberry, he sped off on Route 58.
His jeep ran off the road, hit a culvert and flipped.

[5-Rubatex]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=tbr]
[TAPE#=599-16 TC01:24]
[GRAPHIC=Rubatex]


Both Rubatex and its striking union say they are in for the long haul.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Bedford;]


Workers at Bedford's largest employer started picketing yesterday.
Contract negotiations broke down last week.
The company says the United Steelworkers Union never put an offer on the table and so far the Union is not showing any interest in resuming negations.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT]
[IN Q=]
[SUPER=01-Jim Laurin/Rubatex;]
[RUNS=:14]
[OUT Q=us ever knowing]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


Rubatex says the issues are mandatory overtime, health insurance and wages.
The company also says it will keep filling customers orders during the strike.
The United Steelworkers local chapter still refuses to comment.
(------------)



[E-Valley-Metro]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=eea]
[TAPE#=99-24 2:03:40]
[GRAPHIC=Valley Metro]


At Valley Metro in Roanoke, union workers ARE TALKING about Sunday's contract vote.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]


The vote came just as the current contract expired.
Yesterday all the buses were rolling, and union officials confirmed the contract was approved.
Valley Metro officials say the drivers received a pay raise and a better deal on their medical insurance.
The company is happy with the length of the new contract, nearly three years- It expires in June of 2002.
(------------)



[E-Salem-Schools]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=99-35 TC45:56]
[GRAPHIC=School Safety]


Safety was the topic of concern for school officials and parents in Salem.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


Last night was the first meeting for the Salem School Safety and Security Task Force.
[SUPER=03-Salem]


UVA psychology professor Dewey Cornell spoke to the group and says there is more then one solution to school violence.
Cornell says schools are making progress but there is a lack of resources for students.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 19:49:38]
[IN Q=Very often]

((DEWEY CORNELL/UVA PSYCH PROFESSOR: VERY OFTEN WE CAN IDENTIFY THE TROUBLED YOUNGSTER BUT DON'T HAVE THE PERSONNEL AND THE TIME TO SPEND WITH THEM AND DEAL WITH THEIR PROBLEMS.))
[SUPER=01-Dewey Cornell/UVA Psychology Professor]
[RUNS=:08]
[OUT Q=with their problems]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


The Salem School Safety and Security Task Force was authorized by the Salem School Board in July to examine safety issues.
The group will hold security meetings in each Salem school and then report to the board.
(------------)



[5-Marina-Fire]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE#=599-13 24:58]
[GRAPHIC=Fire]


Investigators are still looking for the cause of a fire that sent hundreds of boats up in flames -
(------------)
[VO-NAT]

[13:30:50]
[SUPER=03-Virginia Beach;]

when a storage facility caught fire Sunday night in Virginia Beach.
The flames consumed 540 boats and caused the 40-foot-tall steel-frame warehouse to collapse.
Two firefighters were treated for smoke inhalation.
There's no dollar estimate on the damage yet... But the Lynnhaven Marine Boatel and its contents were a total loss.


(------------)



[E-Car-thefts]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=mjo]
[TAPE#=99-30 TC1:23:29]
[GRAPHIC=None]


A three-day crime spree through Henry and Pittsylvania counties is over after State police and authorities apprehend and arrest two teenagers.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


18-year old Phillip Chad McMahon of Martinsville and a 15-year-old Pittsylvania County boy are charged with robbing a man at gunpoint and attempting to rob another.
(------------)
[anchor=Melanie]
[graphic=none]


Authorities say they also stole a Camaro and a church van, led authorities on an all-night manhunt Sunday night and rammed a patrol car while trying to escape.

[Greenbrier-Gambling]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=kwe]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=Greenbrier Gambling]


An federal investigation is underway on a bill that authorizes gambling at the Greenbrier resort.
The West Virginia state senator who introduced the bill allegedly took money from a politically prominent wrecking service owner-- looking for state business.
Senator Randy Schoonover resigned after this information was filed.
The newly-proposed casino facility would have been located in what was a top secret nuclear fallout shelter for Congress.

[5-Flood-Project]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=tte]
[TAPE#=599-15 15:10]
[GRAPHIC=Flood Control]


Roanoke city is waiting for input from taxpayers before engineers spend a million dollars on flood prevention.


(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Roanoke;]


The money would go to move 39 mobile homes in the Hannah Court Mobile Home Park.
Otherwise, it must scrap ten years of work on the Roanoke River Flood Reduction Project.
Angela Cavalier is one of many mobile home owners who wants to move.
Construction noise drives her nuts, and the project has narrowed the river.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 13:00:27]
[IN Q=The beauty of the]

((THE BEAUTY OF THE BACKYARD IS GONE. WE HAVE CANOE, WE CANNOT TAKE CANOE ANYMORE. WE LOST OUR FUN. SO THIS WAY I THINK IS THE BEST THING.))
[SUPER=01-Angela Cavalier/Mobile Home Owner;]
[RUNS=:09]
[OUT Q=it's the best thing]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


Business owners who lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in the flood of 85 say it's definitely worth it to move the mobile homes.
(///// SOT /////)
[SOT 12:13:53]
[IN Q=This is one]

((THIS IS ONE OF THE AREAS IN THE CITY REMAINING THAT HAS ROOM TO BUILD ANYTHING BUT AS LONG AS THAT FLOOD THREAT REMAINS, IT PROHIBITS THAT.))
[SUPER=01-Lucian Grove, Sr./Contracting Enterprises, Inc.;]
[RUNS=:09]
[OUT Q=it prohibits that]
(------------)
[VO-NAT]


When taxpayers let the city take out a seven and a half million dollar bond for the project ten years ago, they were told NO homes would be taken.
(------------)
[anchor=Melanie]
[graphic=Hold]


The city floodplains committee will discuss the issue in about a month.


[Stocks]


[ANCHOR=Melanie]
[NEWSCAST=noon]
[WRITER=chr]
[TAPE# none]
[GRAPHIC=stocks]


On Wall Street at Noon, the Dow was DOWN 124 points.
[tease3] [SPORTS MUSIC UNDER]
[ANCHOR=Melanie]


Still ahead in sports, Denver threw a retirement party for John Elway, but Dan Marino spoiled the fun.
(----------------)
[VO-NAT ]


And Patrick will have highlights of the big battle between Staunton River and Altavista as well as the latest double-A girls rankings.
Stay with us.
(---------------)

[MUSIC UP FULL]
[COMM BREAK #3]


[NFL]


[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dse]
[TAPE#=net]
[GRAPHIC=NFL]


Denver retired John Elway's jersey last night, but the Broncos couldn't retire the Dolphins.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Denver, CO/NFL - ABC]


Rookie quarterback Brian Griese did his part-- here he hooks up with Ed McCaffrey for one of his three touchdowns.
But Denver's offensive line didn't give him much help.
[SUPER=30-Miami/38/Denver/21;]


Greise gets stripped by Rich Owens, Jason Taylor runs it into the endzone.
Miami wins it 38 to 21.
(------------)



[S-HIGH]


[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dal]
[TAPE#=SP-44 tc 1:14:18]
[GRAPHIC=girls basketball]


Staunton River opened its doors to non-conference rival Altavista last night.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Moneta/Altavista vs. Staunton River;]


The Golden Eagles soared high limiting Altavista's scoring opportunities in the third quarter.
In the same period, Meagan White gets the pass underneath and shoots the deuce, Staunton River leads by seven.
The Lady Colonels go on a run in the fourth as Michelle Tweedy drives in and nails the basket to cut the River lead.
[super=34-Altavista/46/Staunton River/41;]


But Altavista's Crystal Meadows helps the Lady Colonels get the comeback win as they beat Staunton River 46-to-41.

(------------)



[S-Polls]


[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dal]
[TAPE#=none]
[GRAPHIC=girls basketball]


The Associated Press' Virginia High School Double-A girls basketball poll is out.
(+++++++++)
[wipe to fs pinnacle #1007]


Five and oh Alleghany is fourth-- at four and one Lord Botetourt is seventh.
Blacksburg is eighth with a five and one record, Carroll County is ninth.
Patrick County and Stuarts Draft are tied four tenth and Martinsville is on the edge of being ranked.
(++++++++++)



[S-MLB]


[ANCHOR=Patrick]
[NEWSCAST=Noon]
[WRITER=dal]
[TAPE#=SP-46 tc 22:08]
[GRAPHIC=MLB]


The American League Pennant race is still tight.
(------------)
[VO-NAT]
[SUPER=03-Cleveland, OH/Fox Sports;]


Boston trailed New York by three and half games when last night's match against Cleveland began.
But the Indians jumped out to a three-nothing lead before this single by Trot Nixon scores Jason Varitek. It's three-one Cleveland in the third.
[super=35-Cleveland/11/Boston/7;]


Then in the fourth Richie Sexson homers to left center scoring Roberto Alomar and David Justice and the Indians go on to beat Boston 11-to-7. (------------)
by SS